cataclysmic
/ˌkætəˈklɪzmɪk/adjective
cataclysmic is spelled C-A-T-A-C-L-Y-S-M-I-C: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, cataclysmic means “Of or pertaining to a cataclysm; causing great destruction or upheaval; catastrophic” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in cataclysmic?
| Letters | 11: C-A-T-A-C-L-Y-S-M-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cataclysmic?
Cataclysmic appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cataclysmic?
- /ˌkætəˈklɪzmɪk/
Cataclysmic has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cataclysmic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cataclysmic
- more cataclysmic comparative
- most cataclysmic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cataclysmic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to a cataclysm; causing great destruction or upheaval; catastrophic.
It is believed that a cataclysmic impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cataclysmic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense of or pertaining to a cataclysm:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | katastrophal, verheerend, dramatisch |
| Spanish | cataclísmico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cataclysmic come from?
From cataclysm + -ic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).